DJI has been pumping out some incredible drones in the last couple of years. It can be hard to keep up with all of the changes they make to individual lines of drones, and it can be not easy to compare the different models. This article will go through the differences between the DJI Mini 3 Pro vs Air 2S. These two very popular models have been well received by the drone flying community and hobby flyers alike.
The DJI Mini 3 Pro is the best option if you want a small and affordable drone and value long flight times and portrait photos and videos. The DJI Mavic air 2S is better if you want high-resolution video and better obstacle avoidance systems.
Here is a quick cheat sheet if you want to work out what drone is best for you based on the features you are looking for and value in a drone:
The DJI mini 3 Pro has just been released to the world. It seems to pack an incredible array of features in an incredibly small form factor. It brings in all of the larger drones’ best aspects, such as obstacle sensing and 4K high-resolution video. But, it offers it in a very small weight of under 249 g.
Interestingly, the DJI Mavic mini 3 Pro also includes an extended battery life due to the introduction of the intelligent battery plus.
The camera of the DJI mini three can also spin to capture vertical video. When I first got my drone, I was amazed that people would want to film in vertical format. However, with the onset of online platforms and the increased amount of time people consume media on their smartphones, it makes complete sense.
Here are all the differences between the DJI Mini 3 Pro and the Air 2S.
Specifications
Choosing the best drone for you can be relatively complicated as they are many different aspects to consider. Some people would much rather have a very small drone than a drone with much higher speeds.
The next few tables will be looking at all of the specifications of the DJI mini 3 Pro vs Air 2S.
Form and performance
The drone’s performance, physical size, and features are very important for deciding what drone is best for you.
If you are looking for a small, performant drone, the new mini 3 Pro is 40% smaller and packs a huge punch in the flight time area with the intelligent flight battery.
Here are all of the important aspects of the drone summarised for you, with a quick summary of the differences between each of the drones.
| Spec | Air 2S | Mini Pro 3 | TLDR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Take off weight | 595 g | < 249 g | Mini 3 Pro 40 % smaller |
| Dimensions | Folded: 180×97×77 mm (length×width×height) Unfolded: 183×253×77 mm (length×width×height) | Folded: 145×90×62 mm Unfolded: 171×245×62 mm Unfolded (with propellers): 251×362×70 mm | Mini 3 Pro 40% Smaller |
| Max Flight Time (no wind) | 31 min | 34 mins (with Intelligent Flight Battery and measured while flying at 21.6 kph in windless conditions) 47 mins (with Intelligent Flight Battery Plus | Mini 3 10% – 50% longer flight with Battery plus |
| Max Hovering Time (no wind) | 30 min | 30 mins (with Intelligent Flight Battery) 40 mins (with Intelligent Flight Battery Plus) | Mini 3 Pro Up to 33% longer with Battery Plus |
| Max Flight Distance (no wind) | 18.5 km | 18 km (with Intelligent Flight Battery) 25 km (with Intelligent Flight Battery Plus) | Mini 3 Pro up to 35 % further with battery plus |
| Max Flight Speed (near sea level, no wind) | 19 m/s (S Mode) 15 m/s (N Mode) 5 m/s (C Mode) | 16 m/s (S Mode) 10 m/s (N Mode) 6 m/s (C Mode) | Air 2S faster |
| Max Wind Speed Resistance | 10.7 m/s | 10.7 m/s | Equal |
You can see that the Mavic Mini 3 Pro is much better in every aspect rather than the maximum flight speed. This difference is not necessarily unexpected due to the size of the relative drones.
The Mavic Air 2S has a much larger motor and can put out more energy and reach a higher flight speed than the Mini Pro 3.
Camera
Many people buy a DJI drone to take awesome photos and videos.
Capturing the perfect photo comes down to the hardware that gets carried with the drone. Unlike some other DJI drones, you are not able to hot-swap the cameras of these drones, and therefore you need to make sure the camera that comes with the drone is suitable for your use case.
Here is every important feature of the drone’s cameras compared.
| Spec | Air 2S | Mini 3 Pro | TLDR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sensor | 1″ CMOS Effective Pixels: 20 MP; 2.4μm Pixel Size | 1/1.3-inch CMOS Effective Pixels: 48 MP | Mini 3 Pro bigger |
| Lens | FOV: 88° 35 mm Format Equivalent: 22 mm Aperture: f/2.8 Shooting Range: 0.6 m to ∞ | FOV: 82.1° Format Equivalent: 24 mm Aperture: f/1.7 Focus Range: 1 m to ∞ | Mavic 3 larger FOV |
| ISO Range | Video: 100-3200 (Auto) 100-6400 (Manual) 10-Bit Dlog-M Video: 100-800 (Auto) 100-1600 (Manual) Photo: 100-3200 (Auto) 100-12800 (Manual) | Video: 100-6400 (Auto), 100-6400 (Manual) Photo: 100-6400 (Auto), 100-6400 (Manual) | |
| Still Image Size | 20 MP 5472×3648 (3:2) 5472×3078 (16:9) | 4:3: 8064×6048 (48 MP), 4032×3024 (12 MP) 16:9: 4032×2268 (12 MP) | Mini 3 Pro better resolution |
| Video Resolution | 5.4K: 5472×3078 @ 24/25/30 fps 4K Ultra HD: 3840×2160 @ 24/25/30/48/50/60 fps 2.7K: 2688×1512 @ 24/25/30/48/50/60 fps FHD: 1920×1080 @ 24/25/30/48/50/60/120 fps MP4/MOV (H.264/MPEG-4 AVC, H.265/HEVC) | 4K: 3840×2160@24/25/30/48/50/60fps 2.7K: 2720×1530@24/25/30/48/50/60fps FHD: 1920×1080@24/25/30/48/50/60fps Slow Motion: 1920×1080@120fps | Air 2S Better video resolution = up to 5.4K |
| Digital Zoom | 4K/30fps: 4x; 2.7K/60fps: 4x; 2.7K/30fps: 6x; 1080p/60fps: 6x; 1080p/30fps: 8x | 4K: 2x 2.7K: 3x FHD: 4x | Digital zoom on Air2S Better |
Even though the DJI mini 3 Pro has better hardware with a larger sensor, the digital zoom and the video resolution on the Air 2S is better.
The DJI mini 3 Pro is perfect if you regularly record in low light conditions. In contrast, the Air 2S is a much better option for you if you want to get high-resolution video footage with a much better digital zoom.
Gimbal
Ensuring that the Gimbal has 3-a stabilization xis and can handle a lot of instability during the flight means that the photos and videos will be good for professional use. There’s nothing worse than pushing the capture button and receiving a blurry video or photo.
| Spec | Air 2S | Mini Pro 3 | TLDR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stabilization | 3-axis (tilt, roll, pan) | 3-axis mechanical gimbal (tilt, roll, and pan) | Equal |
| Mechanical Range | Tilt: -135° to 45° Roll: -45° to 45° Pan: -100° to 100° | Tilt: -135° to 80° Roll: -135° to 45° Pan: -30° to 30° | Mini 3 Pro Better tilt Mini 3 Pro Better roll Air 2S Better pan |
| Max Controllable Speed (tilt) | 100°/s | 100°/s | Equal |
| Controllable Range | Tilt: -90° to 0°(default); -90° to 24° (extended) | Tilt: -90° to 60° Roll: -90° or 0° | More control in the Mini 3 Pro |
The biggest difference in these drones in terms of the Gimbal is that you can tilt the full camera to portrait mode in the Mini 3 Pro. This aspect is perfect if a lot of your content is put on social media and is consumed by people on their mobile phones.
Sensors
Keeping your drone as safe as possible during its flight is very important, and that is why you need to look at the sensing system that comes with a drone. I have flown my drone in various conditions, and the sensing system has saved me multiple times from colliding with trees, buildings, and people.
While you are busy looking down at the screen, you can sometimes forget that the drone is in a 3D environment, and the sensing system will give you an extra piece of mind and stop you from hitting overhanging branches or obstacles.
| Spec | Air 2S | Mini Pro 3 | TLDR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | Precision Measurement Range: 0.38-23.8 m Effective Sensing Speed: ≤15 m/s Field of View (FOV): 72° (horizontal), 58° (vertical) | Precision Measurement Range: 0.39-25 m Effective Sensing Speed: Flight speed <10 m/s FOV: Horizontal 106°, Vertical 90° | Both will keep you safe |
| Backward | Precision Measurement Range: 0.37-23.4 m Effective Sensing Speed: ≤12 m/s Field of View (FOV): 57° (horizontal), 44° (vertical) | Precision Measurement Range: 0.36-23.4 m Effective Sensing Speed: Flight speed <10 m/s FOV: Horizontal 58°, Vertical 73° | Both will keep you safe |
| Downward | ToF Measurement Range: 0.1-8 m Hovering Range: 0.5-30 m Vision Sensor Hovering Range: 0.5-60 m | Precision Measurement Range: 0.15-9 m Precise Hovering Range: 0.5-12 m Vision Sensor Hovering Range: 0.5-30 m Effective Sensing Speed: Flight speed <3 m/s FOV: Forward/Backward 104.8°, Left/Right 87.6° | Both will keep you safe |
| Upward | Precision Measurement Range: 0.34-28.6 m Field of View (FOV): 63° (horizontal), 78° (vertical) | None | Air 2S has better obstacle avoidance |
| Downward Auxiliary Light | Single LED | None | Air 2S has better lighting for landing |
Ultimately, the DJI Air 2S is a much better drone if you want to ensure that your drone will stay safe in nearly every circumstance. It will also land better in dark landing situations due to the downwards pointing axillary light.
Battery
Drones achieve longer and longer flight times due to their advanced battery systems. DJI have continued to push the limits of what is capable and possible for consumer level drones with the DJI Mini 3 Pro. It has a fantastic lifespan and even the regular intelligent battery is much more capable than previous versions of the mini.
| Spec | Air 2S | Mini 3 Pro | TLDR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 3750 mAh / 3500 mAh | 2453 mAh (3850 mAh) | Mini 3 Pro better with battery plus. |
| Battery Type | LiPo 3S | Li-ion | Mavic 3 Pro Lithium ion battery less sensitive to temperature change |
| Weight | 198 g | 80.5 g | Mavic 3 Pro lighter battery |
Summary
The DJI Mini 3 Pro is the best option if you want a small and affordable drone and value long flight times and portrait photos and videos. The DJI Mavic air 2S is better if you want high-resolution video and better obstacle avoidance systems.
Both drones will be a perfect match for many drone pilots, and choosing the appropriate drone for you will make sure you don’t end up with buyer’s remorse.
